I'm a nerd and proud of it. Two degrees in geology also means I love BEER. :-) I'm also a Derek lover - proud of that too. So don't scream at those of us on this site and call us a bunch of "biased Derek-lovers" - it's just ME. :-) It may sound like I hate DWTS at times, but really, I'm just a snarky nitpicker from way back. And I'm cynical and jaded too. But I do love DWTS. :-)

I don’t think I am going out on a limb here BUT, if I was a betting man, my early money is on Aaron Carter to win. The guy is young, full of energy, and — whether we want to admit it or not — EXTREMELY TALENTED.

Thanks, David. There is so much that goes into what makes a winner on this show, not the least of which is his competition. I’ve looked at the rumors I’ve found and I don’t think they total 16 names – which means there are quite a few celebs who’ve kept their mouths shut. ;-)

So, I’m not making a call until I see who else will be on the show. If there are any olympic medalists, all bets are off. :-)

Nice find Heidi. I’d hate being any man that you’d date. You’d pull up pictures of them when they were five years old naked or something. As a blogger, that makes you priceless.

Aaron Carter should do well, but I’m not betting on him to win. At least I’m saving my bets to see what other stars are on the show. I think I read a report that said more sports. Could be interesting since sports stars have done well on the show too. Probably based on the large fan bases.

It is hard to say what helps more. Is is a large fan base or the athleticism and dexterity to possess the ability to learn the dances quickly and to keep up with the hectic workout schedule free from injury? Stacy Kebler comes to mind. She did not have the fan base of an Emmit Smith. And even Aaron Carter’s fan base will be huge too. But Stacy and Emmit were athletes. Aaron isn’t an athlete per se, but he has been in the music and dance industry a long time. My point being that as the show has grown in popularity, doesn’t it seem that ability and improvement over the course of the season are becoming more important factors than pure popularity? There are some exceptions, e.g. some would say that Lil Kim was voted out by the fans way too soon, but, in general, I think the answer is yes.

You may over estimate Aaron’s popularity – for example, he’s only beating Derek in twitter followers by about 4000 – that’s not very much, considering. Or, maybe I underestimate Derek. :-) Actually, I think Aaron was at the CMT awards where I pretended to be a paparazzi – I should check my pics!!

I think it’s a complicated formula of what makes someone win. I think this last season, for example, the best dancers were in the final three – but that’s when Shawn’s fanbase gave her the edge. As much as I love Shawn, I think Gilles should have won. When someone is a terrible dancer, a large fanbase will keep them around longer than normal, but it would be very odd to see them win. Marie Osmond comes to mind. She wasn’t horrible, but Jennie Garth was easily better than her, but her fanbase couldn’t compare. Same goes for Lil’ Kim and Ty – and by that stage of the comp, the pros own fanbase is unlikely to help enough. Brooke Burke – no fanbase as compared to a Lance Bass or even Warren Sapp – but she was clearly the consistent, superior dancer of those three. I think that final three and this most recent one were likely very, very close because of the complicated way people decide to vote. I clearly remember telling John early in the season “Do NOT underestimate the power of pre-teen girls.” I was correct. :-)

Yep, I saw that about LaToya. I was NOT happy. :-) Just writing a post on it. As for Brandy, I hadn’t heard that one and I have NO clue who her brother is.

Audrina Patridge? I’m surprised at MTV, I guess.

At this stage, a lot of people are looking for publicity – who knows what will turn out to be right. I think the Aaron one obviously is, but as for the rest? I bet that wrestler one is true – can’t remember his name. I also bet that Debi Mazar and Vera Wang will end up on the show. We’ll see. :-)

I hate to make this point yet AGAIN, but Beth Horn would bring so much natural talent to the women’s side of DWTS. She is a former gymnast, former national fitness champion and earned her spot as VENOM on American Gladiators from an open tryout.

She also happens to be a Ball State grad just like David Letterman. Can’t you see Letterman having a Beth Horn/Venom weekly or even nightly update? =)

I love Debi Mazar, Vera Want, Brandy and Audrina. But this goes back to my point of having the athletic ability and pure desire to be on DWTS. Beth Horn would be the surprise phenomenon.

I am so disappointed this year that you have Kate Gosselin on the program. She's on the cover of People also. She choose to have these eight babies and either she is exploting them or she is off dancing. She says she has to raise them so she needs to make money. Let her stay at home and make Jon find work. The children's education is all taken care of and they live in a wonderful house with lots of grounds to play in. What more does she need. She loves the limelight now so she really doesn't care about anything else. I don't know yet if I'll watch DWTS this season or not.

Carol,First, this is just a DWTS fan site and isn't DWTS, ABC, or anyone relatedto the show. You'll want to go to ABC.com to address them directly abouttheir choice. With that disclaimer…

Many people share your views of Kate. Personally, it doesn't bother memuch. It's not like she's a murder or something. I don't agree with a lotof things she does, but that's true about many other people on the show aswell. I watch for the great dancing and entertainment aspect of the show. To each their own I guess. I just won't let someone I don't like get inthe way of my entertainment and enjoyment.